Role and Rights of People's Organizations

The State shall respect the role of independent people's organizations to enable the people to pursue and protect, within the democratic framework, their legitimate and collective interests and aspirations through peaceful and lawful means.  People's organizations are bona fide associations of citizens with demonstrated capacity to promote the public interest and with identifiable leadership, membership, and structure.

The right of the people and their organizations to effective and reasonable participation at all levels of social, political, and economic decision-making shall not be abridged.  The State shall, by law, facilitate the establishment of adequate consultation mechanisms.